Caretaking of pregnant women in the group at risk for premature birth continues to be a huge clinical challenge being one of the main reasons for neonatal morbidity and mortality.
In the clinic, the growth of the fetus is normally estimated based on a simple distance measure of the pregnant woman's abdomen. This only provides a rough measure of the growth of the fetus, and in case any abnormal development is detected, the fetus has most likely suffered from an abnormal development during several weeks before it is detected.
Once the pregnant woman is categorized as belonging to the high risk group for impaired growth other methods exist for monitoring the development of the fetus. A sufficient blood flow to the uterus and between the fetus and the placenta is vital for the fetus to develop. Thus, detection of any abnormal blood flow in the uterine arteries and the umbilical arteries is important with respect to monitoring the state of the fetus. This is possible by means of Doppler measurements, using ultrasound scanning equipment, to examine arterial blood flow. Hereby, e.g. the Pulsatility Index (PI) can be determined, and thus compared to a tabulated threshold value in order to assist the medical staff at the clinic in determining if the blood supply to the fetus is normal or if any action is required. Ultrasound scanning for determination of uterine and umbilical arterial blood flow is used in cases such as: Intra Uterine Growth Restriction (IUGR), twin pregnancy, maternal hypertension, maternal pre-eclampsia, maternal diabetes, and women pregnant after In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
Many women, being categorized as belonging to the high risk group, become anxious and many of those women either contact the clinic or hospital at regular intervals to ask for examination, and many women are finally hospitalized, e.g. during weeks, in spite the fact that their fetus has a normal development. Thus, there is a need for a solution to allow this group of woman to be monitored more closely during at least a part of their pregnancy without the need for hospitalization.
For pregnant women diagnosed with such as pre-eclampsia or hypertensive disorders the feto-placental circulation is affected as the maternal state of pre-eclampsia or hypertension worsens, therefore there is a need for a system to monitor the maternal health risk during pregnancy.